N-Base Briefing 492


N-Base Briefing 492
16th April 2006
ISSN 1478-4661

Review closes

The public consultation period of the Government's energy review is over and there have been over 2,000 submissions. A report is expected this summer.

MPs audit questions

The House of Commons all-party Environmental Audit Committee has published its energy investigation report this weekend and has expressed serious concerns about new nuclear reactors. The MPs say new reactors will be of little or no short-term help in filling any 'energy gap' as it would be at least 2020 before any were operating. The MPs also raise concerns about security, waste and the cost of nuclear energy. (Financial Times 15/04/06)

Union support

The Scottish Trades Union Conference has toughened its support for nuclear energy with a resolution that the Government must consider new builds in its energy review. Nuclear power is described as safe and secure. A resolution opposing new reactors was overwhelmingly rejected at the conference in Perth. (Scotsman 10/04/06)

Reactors rejected

The Scottish National Party's spring conference in Dundee this week rejected nuclear power and called for an emphasis on 'clean technology' and renewable energy. (www.snp.org)

Use renewables

Forty of the UK's top energy scientists have written to prime minister Tony Blair urging him to reject new nuclear reactors in favour of alternative energy sources. "Nuclear new build will be too little, too late, too expensive and too dangerous", they said in their letter. (Sunday Herald 09/04/06)

BE evidence

Nuclear energy has a crucial role to play in meeting the UK's energy needs according to the British Energy's submission to the Government's energy review. The Government had to create "a framework that provides long-term certainty for investment" according to BE. (www.british-energy.co.uk)

Public misled

Stinging criticism of the UKAEA's recent public consultation on the contamination from radioactive 'hotspot' particles has come from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). Chief executive Campbell Gemmell has written to the UKAEA saying it misled the public about the health threats from the particles and published false and misleading information in its consultation documentation. Mr Gemmell also criticised the UKAEA for not contacting SEPA or the Dounreay Particles Advisory Group before publishing the documents. (Press and Journal 14/04/06 and Sunday Times 16/04/06)

Monitoring test

A scientific assessment of the effectiveness of the Groundhog vehicles used to monitor the Sandside beach for radioactive contamination has been carried out for the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE). For the first time the equipment was used to detect cobalt-60 contamination as well as caesium-167. Sandside owner Geoffrey Minter welcomed the fact that after six years "a thorough and serious study of the monitoring is being conducted." (Press and Journal 12/04/06)

Chernobyl reports

The Food Standards Agency has published three reports on the monitoring of sheep on farms still under post-Chernobyl restrictions 20 years after the reactor accident. In 1986 8,914 farms with over four million sheep were put under restrictions because of high levels of caesium contamination. This has now been reduced to 374 farms with a over 200,000 sheep. Full details at www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2006/apr/chernobyl

Transport inquiry

The West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group has launched an investigation into the incident then a lorry drove though the area with a leaking radioactive cargo. A cap had not been fitted to the container holding a radioactive source and a lethal beam of radioactivity leaked on the journey from Leeds to Sellafield. Fortunately the beam pointed to the ground and there were no injuries. Group chairman and Conservative councillor David Moore it was "pure good fortune" no-one was exposed to the beam. (News and Star 15/04/06)

Early leak

No sooner had the Rokkasho reprocessing plant opened in Japan than it suffered last week from a leak of 40 litres of plutonium contaminated water. Officials said the leak was contained in a compound.

Drigg contract

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has begun the search for a new contractor for the management of the Drigg low-level waste facility in Cumbria. The five year contract is estimated to be worth GBP200 million (www.nda.gov.uk)

Sizewell consultation

The Environment Agency for England and Wales has begun a public consultation on waste discharge authorisations from the Sizewell B reactor. The consultation closes on 7th July. Full details at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/benar